Compostion incorporating emollient oils into bodywash

ABSTRACT

Bodywash compositions incorporating high levels of emollient oils and a method for incorporating such high levels of emollient into bodywash compositions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/560,982 filed Nov. 17, 2006 and entitled “CompositionIncorporating Emollient Oils Into Bodywash” which in turn claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/597,257,entitled “Composition Incorporating Emollient Oils Into Bodywash,” filedNov. 18, 2005.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed towards a bodywashcomposition. More particularly, the present invention is directedtowards a bodywash composition incorporating high levels of emollientoils and a method for incorporating such high levels of emollient oilsinto a bodywash.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Personal cleansing products have attempted to meet a variety of productcharacteristics desired by consumers. In general, a suitable cleansingproduct must exhibit good cleaning and lathering characteristics whilestill being mild to the skin. More beneficial are products which do notirritate the skin and leave the skin feeling moisturized.

One type of traditional moisturizing formulation includes oil and wateremulsions. These formulations are created by emulsifying non-solubleskin conditioning oils into water based cleansing formulations. Theseformulations are balanced between the cleansing properties of the waterphase and the softening effects of the oils deposited on the skin.Stability of these formulations is achieved by using an excess ofsurfactants present in the emulsion phase. However, emulsification ofoils in water based cleansers negatively impacts the lathering andcleansing properties of the cleansers. High oil content oftendrastically reduces lathering ability of the product. Furthermore,surfactants, responsible for the cleansing effects, are often irritatingto the skin. As such, increasing surfactant use so that more emollientoil can be incorporated into a particular composition may have no netbenefit to the softening and/or cleansing characteristics of thebodywash.

Thus, there is a need to stably increase the amount of emollient oil inbodywash products without significantly impacting lather and cleansingproperties while at the same time limiting skin irritation andincreasing skin conditioning effects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

While the way in which the present invention address the disadvantagesof the prior art will be discussed in greater detail below, in general,the present invention provides a high oil bodywash composition thateffectively cleanses and softens the skin. Additionally, the presentinvention provides a method for incorporating high levels of emollientoil into high oil bodywash compositions thereby increasing skinconditioning effects.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, thehigh oil bodywash composition preferably comprises a dispersion (e.g.,comprised of an emollient oil, a surfactant, and water), a bodywashbase, and optional additional ingredients, for example, preservatives,fragrances, color adjusters, antibacterial agents, and/or vitamins. Inan exemplary embodiment, the highly stable dispersion is present in anamount preferably from about 20 to about 25 percent by weight of thehigh oil bodywash composition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions are of exemplary embodiments of the inventiononly, and are not intended to limit the scope or applicability of theinvention in any way. Rather, the following description is intended toprovide convenient illustrations for implementing various embodiments ofthe invention. As will become apparent, various changes may be made inthe compositions described in these embodiment without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention.

In accordance with various aspects of the present invention, a high oilbodywash composition that effectively cleanses and softens the skin isprovided. For example, in accordance with various embodiments of theinvention, the high oil bodywash may be formulated so that high levelsof emollient oils are delivered to the skin by vigorously rubbing theliquid product on the skin under running water. As a result, the oilsare easily felt on the hands during washing without a decrease in lathervolume. Upon towel drying, the oils leave the skin feeling soft andtreated. While the invention will be described in this context, itshould be appreciated that other uses as are now known or hereafterdevised by those skilled in the art may be made of the compositions setforth herein.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, thehigh oil bodywash composition preferably comprises a highly stabledispersion, a bodywash base, and optional additional ingredients, forexample, preservatives, fragrances, color adjusters, antibacterialagents, and/or vitamins.

In accordance with one aspect, of one embodiment of the presentinvention, the high oil bodywash composition comprises a highly stabledispersion. As mentioned above, one type of traditional moisturizingformulation includes emulsions of oil and a bodywash base. Stability ofthese formulations is achieved by using an excess of surfactants presentin the emulsion phase. A dispersion is a generally stable or unstablemixture of at least two immiscible substances. Providing a dispersion ofemollient oil that is stable prior to mixture with a bodywash base, forexample, significantly decreases the amount of surfactants necessary tostabilize the high oil bodywash composition. By so doing, this inventionprovides for an increased amount of emollient oil that does notnoticeably impact lather, or cleansing properties, increase skinirritation, or decrease skin conditioning effects.

In general, the dispersion may be comprised of other compositioningredients during processing to deliver an effective amount of oil intothe bodywash base composition. Exemplary compositions may include: oneor more emollients, one or more humectants, one or more preservatives,one or more antibacterial agents, one or more fragrances, one or moresurfactants, whether it be anionic, cationic, nonionic, ampliolytic,amphoteric, zwitterionic surfactants, or the like, one or moreantioxidants, one or more colorants, and one or more neutralizers.

The highly stable dispersion enables greater amounts of emollient oil tobe incorporated into the desired bodywash base composition than withoutuse of the highly stable dispersion. Furthermore, varying the amount ofdispersion used yields varying levels of oil retained in the final highoil bodywash formulation and oil delivered to the skin. For example, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment, adding about 20 percent of thedispersion yields about 17 percent emollient oil in the final high oilbodywash formulation. In accordance with another embodiment, adding 25percent dispersion yields about 22 percent of emollient oil in the finalhigh oil bodywash formulation.

Without being limited to any theory, it is believed the oil becomesstabilized in the dispersion phase and initially separated from thebodywash base, but thereafter dispersed thoroughly therethrough, therebyincreasing composition stability. Because of this prior stabilization inthe dispersion phase and initial separation, there is increasedstability in the overall high oil bodywash composition and lesssurfactant or other stabilizer is needed. By decreasing the amount ofsurfactant needed, the potential for skin irritability is decreasedwhile maintaining cleansing effectiveness and lathering characteristics.The oil dispersion breaks down in the presence of bathing water andshear force releasing the oil to the skin. The bodywash base thenprovides suitable lathering characteristics.

That being said, the highly stable dispersion is preferably strongenough to survive throughout product processing but should be able to beactivated by rubbing the product between the hands or other skinsurfaces in the presence of water. Upon activation, the emollient oilsare delivered to the skin leaving the skin feeling soft and conditioned.

As such, any composition capable of stably delivering oil into a highoil bodywash base composition may be suitable as a highly stabledispersion. For example, in accordance with various embodiments of thisaspect of the present invention, the highly stable dispersion comprisesan emollient oil, a surfactant, and water.

In an exemplary embodiment, the highly stable dispersion is present inan amount from about 10 to about 35 percent by weight of the high oilbodywash composition. More preferably, the dispersion is present in anamount from about 15 to about 30 percent, and most preferably, fromabout 20 to about 25 percent by weight of the high oil bodywashcomposition.

As noted above, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention, the highly stable dispersion comprises one or more emollientoils. Emollient oils are known for moisturizing and softening the skinby depositing a layer of oil on the skin to slow water loss and increasewater content. As such, any emollient may be suitable for use in thehighly stable dispersion. Exemplary emollients within the spirit andscope of the invention may include, but are not limited to algaeextract, borage seed oil, carrageenan extract, castor oil, corn oil,evening primrose oil, grape seed oil, jojoba oil, kukui nut oil,lecithin, macadamia oil, oat kernel meal, pea extract, pecan oil,safflower oil, sesame oil, shea butter, soybean oil, sunflower oiland/or sweet almond oil.

In accordance with various exemplary embodiments, the emollient oils arepresent in an amount from about 80 to about 95 percent by weight of thedispersion. More preferably, the oils are present in about 85 to about93 percent by weight, and most preferably, the oils are present in about88 to about 90 percent by weight of the dispersion. In accordance withthese exemplary embodiments, the emollient oils comprise a combinationof soybean and safflower oil present in a 50%/50% mixture. However, anysingle oil, combination of oils, or type of emollient now known orhereafter devised is suitable.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, thedispersion comprises an effective amount of one or more surfactants.Surfactants such as anionic, cationic, nonionic, ampholytic, amphoteric,or zwitterionic surfactants, and/or mixtures thereof capable of stablydispersing oil in oil-in-water dispersions are suitable.

Specific surfactants that can be used in the dispersion include, but arenot limited to, lauryl sulfates, octyl sulfates, 2-ethylhexyl sulfates,lauramine oxide, decyl sulfates, tridecyl sulfates, cocoates, laurylsarcosinates, lauryl sulfosuccinates, linear C.sub.10 diphenyl oxidedisulfonates, lauryl sulfosuccinates, lauryl ether sulfates (1 and 2moles ethylene oxide), myristyl sulfates, oleates, stearates, tallates,cocamine oxide, decylamine oxide, myristamine oxide, ricinoleates, cetylsulfates, and similar surfactants. Suitable anionic surfactants include,but are not limited to, compounds in the classes known alkyl sulfates,alkyl ether sulfates, alkyl ether sulfonates, sulfate esters of analkylphenoxy polyoxyethylene ethanol, alpha-olefin sulfonates,beta-alkoxy alkane sulfonates, alkylaryl sulfonates, alkyl monoglyceridesulfates, alkyl monoglyceride sulfonates, alkyl carbonates, alkyl ethercarboxylates, fatty acids, sulfosuccinates, sarcosinates, octoxynol ornonoxynol phosphates, taurates, fatty taurides, fatty acid amidepolyoxylethelyne sulfates, isethionates, or mixtures thereof.

Preferably, the surfactant is mild. That is, the surfactant providesenough cleansing benefit while not overly irritating the skin.Furthermore, an effective amount of surfactant is that which is capableof forming a highly stable dispersion of emollient oil droplets, but isactivated upon rubbing with the skin in the presence of water. In apreferred embodiment, the surfactant in the dispersion is sodium laurethsulfate present in an amount from about 0.5 to about 5 percent by weightof the dispersion. More preferably, the sodium laureth sulfatesurfactant is present in an amount from about 0.8 to about 2.5 percent,and most preferably, in an amount from about 1.0 to about 1.5 percent byweight of the dispersion.

In accordance with this aspect of the present invention, the highlystable dispersion further comprises water. In an exemplary embodiment,the water is present in an amount from about 5 to about 15 percent byweight of the dispersion. More preferably, the water is present fromabout 8 to about 12 percent, and most preferably, the water is presentin about 9 to about 10 percent by weight of the dispersion.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the high oilbodywash composition comprises a bodywash base. In accordance withvarious embodiments, the bodywash base may be of any suitable bodywashformulation now known in the art or hereafter devised. For example, atypical bodywash base comprises water, surfactants, skin feelconditioners and/or moisturizers, color and various polymers.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the bodywash base is presentin an amount from about 60 to about 90 percent by weight of the high oilbodywash composition. More preferably, the bodywash base is present inan amount from about 70 to about 85 percent, and most preferably, fromabout 75 to about 80 percent by weight of the high oil bodywashcomposition.

In various embodiments of the present invention, the high oil bodywashcomposition may optionally be configured for a variety of particularend-use purposes. Any additional ingredients may be added to the highoil bodywash composition; however, these optional ingredients should notinterfere with the cleaning efficacy or the dispersion properties of thecomposition. For example, high oil bodywash compositions in accordancewith the present invention may comprise one or more of a naturalizer, apreservative, a fragrance, a color adjuster, an antibacterial agent,and/or a vitamin, such as Vitamin E and/or Vitamin A. In accordance withvarious embodiments, a color slurry may be added to the high oilbodywash composition which is a dye or pigment dispersed in water orsome other solvent and may contain TiO₂ and a small amount of detergentto help stabilize the dispersion. Furthermore, in accordance with theseembodiments, the slurry may also contain an antibacterial agent such asa bisguanidine (e.g., chlorhexidine diglticonate), diphenyl compounds,benzyl alcohols, trihalocarbanilides, quaternary ammonium compounds,ethoxylated phenols, and phenolic compounds, such as halo-substitutedphenolic compounds, like PCMX (i.e., p-chloro-m-xylenol) and Triclosan(i.e., 2,4,4′-tri-chloro-2′hydroxy-diphienylether), Triclocarban,Triclocarbanilide, or other now known or hereafter devised germicides.

Table 1 shows 2 exemplary bodywash compositions within the spirit andscope of the invention.

TABLE 1 Exemplary Exemplary Bodywash Bodywash Composition Composition #1#2 Weight percent Dispersion 89.0% oil (50% soybean oil/ 20 25 50%safflower oil) 9.9% water 1.1% surfactant Bodywash 35-50% water Base15-25% amphoteric, and or 80 75 ampholytic, and or nonionic surfactant2-8% polyethylene glycols ranging 6-12 moles of ethylene oxide 29-35%anionic surfactant 3.5-6% polyol (sorbitol, glycerin, etc.) 0.2-2.0%fragrance Total 100 100 Oil Content in Final Bodywash Product 17.8 22.25

In the examples described above, the bodywash is prepared usingprocessing equipment common in this industry. Importantly the emollientoil dispersion and the bodywash base are prepared separately. The highlystable oil dispersion was prepared using a Ross Model LAB—ME vacuummixer homogenizer at from 1000 to 2000 RPM. This Ross Homogenizerconsists of a counter-rotating turbine and a high speed rotor/stator.The rotor stator head is positioned in the bottom center of the mixvessel to enable its use with very small volumes of material. During themixing operation the outer turbine rotates clockwise and moves materialsoff the vessel wall and upwards. The inner blades rotate counterclockwise and move material downward and into the high speedhomogenizing head. The highly stable dispersion, prepared by intensivemixing, is then added to the bodywash base with gentle mixing to preventaeration of the total blend. The invention is not generally dependent onthe bodywash base used.

In a third exemplary bodywash composition resulting in a final bodywashproduct with 10% oil content, the high oil bodywash produced a foamheight typical of a bodywash without the high oil load. The exemplaryhigh oil bodywash lather volume was 70 ml and the control volume was 65ml. The lather volume was determined using the graduated cylinder methoddescribed by T. E. Woods in “Soap technology for the 1990's.” Theaccuracy was (+/−) 5 ml.

Finally, it should be understood that various principles of theinvention have been described in illustrative embodiments. However, manycombinations and modifications of the above-described formulation,proportions, elements, materials and components, used in the practice ofthe invention, in addition to those not specifically described, may bevaried and particularly adapted to specific environments and operatingrequirements without departing from those principles. Other variationsand modifications of the present invention will be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art, and it is the intent that such variations andmodifications be covered.

1. A bodywash composition comprising: a) a stable dispersion present inan amount from about 10 to about 35 percent by weight of said bodywashcomposition comprising: at least one emollient oil present in an amountfrom about 80 to about 95 percent by weight of said dispersion; at leastone surfactant present in an amount from about 0.5 to about 5 percent byweight of said dispersion; and water present in an amount from about 5to about 15 percent by weight of said dispersion; b) a bodywash basepresent in an amount from about 60 to about 90 percent by weight of saidbodywash composition comprising: water present in an amount from about35 to about 50 percent by weight of said bodywash base; at least onesurfactant base selected from a group consisting of an amphoteric,ampholytic and non-ionic surfactant, said surfactant present in anamount from about 15 to about 25 percent by weight of said bodywashbase; polyethylene glycol present in an amount from about 2 to about 8percent by weight of the bodywash base; anionic surfactant present in anamount from about 29 to about 35 percent by weight of said bodywashbase; and an optional additional ingredient selected from a groupconsisting of: a preservative, a fragrance, a color adjuster, anantibacterial agent, and a vitamin.
 2. The composition of claim 1,wherein said stable dispersion is present in an amount from about 15 toabout 30 percent by weight of said bodywash composition.
 3. Thecomposition of claim 2, wherein said stable dispersion is present in anamount from about 20 to about 25 percent by weight of said bodywashcomposition.
 4. The composition of claim 1, wherein said emollient oilis present in an amount from about 85 to about 93 percent by weight ofsaid dispersion.
 5. The composition of claim 1, wherein said surfactantis present in an amount from about 0.8 to about 2.5 percent by weight ofsaid dispersion.
 6. The composition of claim 5, wherein said surfactantis present in an amount from about 1.0 to about 1.5 percent by weight ofsaid dispersion.
 7. The composition of claim 1, wherein water is presentin an amount from about 8 to about 12 percent by weight of saiddispersion.
 8. The composition of claim 1, wherein said bodywash base ispresent in an amount from about 70 to about 85 percent by weight of saidbodywash composition.
 9. A method of preparing a bodywash compositionincorporating a high level of emollient oil comprising: a) preparing astable dispersion by combining together by intensive mixing from about80 to about 90 percent by weight of an emollient oil, from about 0.5 toabout 5 percent by weight of a surfactant and from about 5 to about 15percent by weight of water; b) separately preparing a bodywash basecomprising about 35 to about 50 percent by weight of water, from about15 to about 25 percent by weight of at least one surfactant selectedfrom the group consisting of amphoteric, ampholytic and non-ionicsurfactant, from about 2 to about 8 percent by weight of polyethyleneglycol, from about 29 to about 35 percent by weight of an anionicsurfactant, and an optional additional ingredient selected from thegroup consisting of a preservative, a fragrance, a color adjustor, anantibacterial agent, and a vitamin; c) adding together said stabledispersion with said bodywash base to form said bodywash compositionhaving from about 10 to about 35 percent of said stable dispersion andfrom about 60 to about 90 percent by weight of said bodywash base. 10.The method of claim 9, wherein said stable dispersion is present in anamount from about 15 to about 30 percent by weight of said bodywashcomposition.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein said stable dispersionis present in an amount from about 20 to about 25 percent by weight ofsaid bodywash composition.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein saidemollient oil is present in an amount from about 85 to about 93 percentby weight of said dispersion.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein saidemollient oil is present in an amount from about 88 to about 90 percentby weight of said dispersion.
 14. The method of claim 9, wherein saidsurfactant is present in an amount from about 0.8 to about 2.5 percentby weight of said dispersion.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein saidsurfactant is present in an amount from about 1.0 to about 1.5 percentby weight of said dispersion.
 16. The method of claim 9, wherein saidsurfactant is sodium laureth sulfate.
 17. The method of claim 9, whereinwater is present in an amount from about 8 to about 12 percent by weightof said dispersion.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein water is presentin an amount from about 9 to about 10 percent by weight of saiddispersion.
 19. The method of claim 9, wherein said bodywash base ispresent in an amount from about 70 to about 85 percent by weight of saidbodywash composition.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein said bodywashbase is present in an amount from about 75 to about 80 percent by weightof said bodywash composition.